Page 64 - Modern Fishing

TECHNIQUE: BAIT BALLS

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this planet that can resist of chasing bait balls and birds, then
arousal at the sight of a you’ve now got a new front runner on
seething mass of white water your list of things-to-do. It’s simple,
as a bait ball is torn to shreds visual and great fun, not to mention
by piscatorial missiles. opening yourself up to hooking all
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chaos is spotted, the boat is a buzz not surprising why so many anglers
RI H[FLWHPHQW DQG SUHSDUDWLRQ 7KH get hooked on it! I know from personal
skipper points the vessel in the right H[SHULHQFH WKDW ZKHQ WKH EDLW FRPHV
direction and leans on the throttle to through my local area, you’d be hard
close the gap before the opportunity SUHVVHG À QGLQJ PH GRLQJ DQ\WKLQJ
LV ORVW 7KH GHFN\ KDQGV DURXQG else! So, lets run through the checklist
rods not dissimilar to an armoury and get you up to speed!
distributing aquatic weaponry before
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are many others like it, but this one is
mine” choruses through the anglers’ In my neck of the woods, summer isn’t
minds as they come within range just a time for cricket, the beach and
DQG À UH WKH À UVW YROOH\ RI PHWDOOLF sausages on bread! Summer is when
EDLWÀ VK VKDSHG SURMHFWLOHV LQWR WKH the bait ball action can be as hot as
maelstrom. All things going to plan, the bitumen in the middle of the day.
it’s about to go down. Living in ‘Brisney Land’ or Brisbane as
Now, if reading that didn’t cast your it’s also known, the summer months
mind back to a few fond memories, of December, January and February
then there is even more of a reason for FRLQFLGHV ZLWK DQ LQÁ X[ RI PDVVLYH
\RX WR À QLVK WKH UHVW RI WKH DUWLFOH ,I amounts of herring and frogmouth

Troy with a small
Spanish pulled from The Phantom
under a patch of birds
with a stud
schoolie

pilchard, which school up throughout
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from the ocean, but, unfortunately
that’s where the protection ends.
Following these congregations are
schools of predators that are all too
happy to capitalise on the situation
and scoff down an easy feed. Now in
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movements may be earlier or later,
but still generally around the warmer
months of the year. A quick chat with
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In terms of locations, up and down
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of the most reliable action is going to
take place in bays, coves and harbours.
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attract and concentrate the bait a lot
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to say that there isn’t fun to be had
offshore, in fact, I have personally had
some great sessions stumbling across
bait schools on the way back home
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bait in the area, its simply passing by.
More often than not the school of bait
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afternoon will be a 100kms down the
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terms of reliability, sheltered waters
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